Why Kings Confess

The gruesome murder of a young French physician draws aristocratic investigator Sebastian St. Cyr and his pregnant wife, Hero, into a dangerous, decades-old mystery as a wrenching piece of Sebastian's past puts him to the ultimate test. Regency England, January 1813: When a badly injured Frenchwoman is found beside the mutilated body of Dr. Damion Pelletan in one of London's worst slums, Sebastian finds himself caught in a high-stakes tangle of murder and revenge. Although the woman, Alexi Sauvage, has no memory of the attack, Sebastian knows her all too well from an incident in his past-an act of wartime brutality and betrayal that nearly destroyed him. As the search for the killer leads Sebastian into a treacherous web of duplicity, he discovers that Pelletan was part of a secret delegation sent by Napoleon to investigate the possibility of peace with Britain. Despite his powerful father-in-law's warnings, Sebastian plunges deep into the mystery of the "Lost Dauphin," the boy prince who disappeared in the darkest days of the French Revolution, and soon finds himself at lethal odds with the Dauphin's sister-the imperious, ruthless daughter of Marie Antoinette-who is determined to retake the French crown at any cost. With the murderer striking ever closer, Sebastian must battle new fears about Hero's health and that of their soon-to-be born child. When he realizes the key to their survival may lie in the hands of an old enemy, he must finally face the truth about his own guilt in a past he has found too terrible to consider ..

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This is the ninth St. Cyr mystery; I accidentally read it before I read #8. The good news is it didn't affect my understanding of the plot. The bad news...there really is no bad news. I get to go back and read #8 (What Darkness Brings) and hopefully get some good angst on the St. Cyr/Hero front, which I think might be the real reason I love these books. ANYWAY. This one might be the most page-turn-y for me, and although it's about the exiled French royal family, it feels a lot less political than #7 (When Maidens Mourn), by which I mean there is less explaining of political history and intrigue, and more of showing a real messed up situation. I do think this series keeps getting better and better, and I also think it's important to start from the beginning. If you like Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series, just quit what you're doing and pick up this series.

Another page-turner investigation of Sebastian St Cyr. I highly recommend this series if you like detective stories, history, dramatic action and engaging characters; the well balanced, easy flowing prose is a real pleasure too.

Sebastian St. Cyr is a detective by choice. He hunts murders because he is by nature a hunter.

A thin veneer of glittering civilization covers a savage culture. The rich live lives of pleasure and plenty. The poor suffer and starve in miserable hovels. Sebastian moves through both worlds at a time when "noblemen" did not do such things.

Even the smallest characters are sharply defined and I'm never scratching my head, going "Now who is this guy?"

The author knows how to twist a plot for maximum suspense. I am always surprised. Good fast reads.